Antrim and Newtownabbey Street Pastors first patrol on the streets was in May 2013. We are on the streets of Glengormley, Mayfield, Rathcoole and New Mossley each Friday and Saturday night. We also have teams who are on the streets of Ballyclare at least 2 nights per month and Antrim once a month.

 

A “typical’ Street Pastor night.

We often get asked, “What does a night look like as a Street Pastor?”

This isn’t always an easy question to answer but here is a rough idea.

• Around 7:30 pm the team will mean at the base. This base is often a local church which has allowed us to use a room.
• The team leader will check the bag is stocked and check the team phone for any updates or issues.
• After a chat about key areas to visit during the shift, the team will spend some time in prayer. Every team will have a prayer pastor for the evening who will be praying for them. Prayer pastors often meet the teams at the base or will be contacted by phone.
• Setting out the team will visit a range of area. These can be areas of know trouble or areas we have been asked to visit as a one-off.
• We spend our time chatting with people from all walks of life and all ages. Over the course of an evening, we could cover several areas and see very few people or we could spend the whole evening with a group in one place. No two evening are the same.
• We carry water, wipes, first-aid kid, dustpan and brush, flip-flops, foil blankets, a bible and most importantly sweets. This way we are prepared for anything we come across.
• When the evening goes quiet, it’s time for a coffee and debrief. Here the team can often be found in McDonald’s with a coffee as we chat over the evening, fill in a report and pray together to end the evening.